Help Travis beat Brain Cancer again!

Help Travis beat Brain Cancer again! 

On March 27th 2020 Travis Ramsammy, my brother was diagnosed as having an aggressive cancerous tumour near his brain called undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma. For the second time in his life this strong 22 year old finds himself preparing to fight cancer once again, a feat he accomplished 16 years ago at the age of 5 . But now, more than ever,he needs your help to win this battle.

The Ramsammy family would like to thank you for showing an interest in our case and we humbly ask for any help you can spare to raise enough funds to make Travis’ treatment a success.

We are a family of five from Trinidad and Tobago. My parents and their three sons the eldest being me, Peter, the younger is Chad and youngest but strongest is Travis. I am writing on behalf of Travis who needs your urgent attention and help.This is Travis’ story.

Christmas time is a special and important time in our family as we are all Christians and have always lived a life close to God and church. On the days leading up to Christmas, December 2003, after completing his role in his primary school’s Christmas concert, Travis started complaining of slight headaches.

Archived family pic 2003

As the days counted down to Christmas his headaches grew more excruciating and his condition further declined. After a couple of days, Travis was no longer able to swallow solid - food or drink, time was ticking.

He needed urgent medical attention that Trinidad could not facilitate. Frantic but determined my parents and Travis took the next flight out destined for Yale Hospital in New Haven Connecticut as they were known for their excellence in health care and the oncological centre. Travis did not have much time so we needed the best and the best was Yale.

My parents and Travis arrived in Connecticut January 7th 2004, Travis now weighed 35lbs. He was immediately admitted and a biopsy was done revealing a rare, malignant, cancerous tumour near his brain called Rhabdomyosarcoma. Thankfully his insurance covered the majority of the cost so we were able to start treatment right away. On January 28th 2004 at 5 years old, with God on his side and with the devoted prayers of friends and family, Travis prepared himself to start chemotherapy and his battle against cancer.

In addition to the chemotherapy Travis endured twenty eight days of radiation which helped shrink his tumour by 70%, his body responded well to treatment.

He placed faith in God and Travis continued to push through. Later that year in December 2004, it was a Christmas blessing for us all to have Travis back at home, in Trinidad.

He returned to school.  He learnt to play and embraced the style of classical guitar. He worked his way to ace his exams and achieve his dream to be accepted to his first choice school at secondary level, Fatima College; he gained even more friends and was successful in his academic life passing all his exams and graduating in 2017.

 Close friends. FATIMA Boys

Three brothers. From Right, Travis, Chad & Peter 

Throughout the years my mom and Travis would go for their scheduled annual checks at Yale to ensure all was going as planned and sure enough there were never any causes for concern. Travis was inducted as a HERO in Yale’s Hero Program for cancer survivors, having excelled at life ten years after his ordeal. 

 Mom & Travis 

In 2018 Travis was accepted to The University of Trinidad and Tobago where he enrolled and is still registered as part of the electrical engineering program. Soon after the semester started in March 2020 he experienced discomfort in all too familiar areas of his head as he did before.

Our family investigated immediately! After the results of an MRI scan were explained to us, we were devastated to learn another tumour had been growing around the same area of the brain.

We acted right away and within 48 hours after receiving the MRI results in Trinidad, on March 16th, with Covid-19 pervasively spreading to all corners of the globe; my parents and Travis took the next available flight heading to Yale New Haven Hospital

Travis was admitted to Yale Hospital on March 19th. A biopsy was performed on the 23rd of March two days shy of his 22nd birthday. This revealed a new type of cancer called undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma. Doctors explained this had most likely developed from the exposure to the radiation therapy done to that area when Travis was younger. Radiation therapy comes with its risks and this was always a possible side effect which has now reared its unwanted head and has once again beckoned Travis to dig deep for a second time.

Faced with this serious condition and having very little time,my parents with help from our family put together whatever funds we could muster so Travis could begin treatment and was able to complete his first chemotherapy cycle two weeks ago.

Travis has only undergone one chemotherapy cycle but requires more chemotherapy and numerous weeks of radiation. We cannot continue treatment if we do not have the funding. This is where we can make all the difference. This is where we can help save Travis.

We are asking for your help to continue funding this treatment, it is the only way to secure a fighting chance for Travis.

How much will it cost to continue treatment?

- Yale’s estimate is approximately USD $650,000.00 dollars. This would allow for successive chemotherapy treatment and weeks of radiation to be administered giving Travis his best shot at beating this.

Why do we need Funding?

- Due to Travis having cancer Insurance companies are unwilling to cover him and as a result we are paying out of pocket, for everything.

- My parents are in their sixties and costs have been in the tens of thousands. They have been staying in a hotel near the hospital for the past seven weeks. They have had to use most of their remaining life’s savings and our family’s help to keep this fight going and secure the first chemotherapy cycle, which has been completed and was a success but there is much more treatment needed.

Why do we need your help NOW?

- TIME is extremely crucial. Due to the size, (36mm CC x 34mm AP x 30mm TR), its location near the brain and the aggressive nature of this tumour, we have to act quickly. Every day that passes without certainty of treatment escalates the seriousness of Travis’ condition.

- Travelling back to Trinidad is too risky during COVID-19. As my parents are above sixty and Travis’ immune system is compromised, travelling during the Covid 19 Pandemic places them square in the high risk group. If we are not able to raise enough funds to secure continued treatment they would have to return to Trinidad. Furthermore the three of them would be quarantined for at least 14 days, delaying even further possible treatment and putting Travis’s health at an unprecedented heightened risk.
 
- We trust Yale, they saved Travis before and they can do it again. Continuing treatment right now is our BEST CASE SCENARIO. Travis’ successful medical history proves Yale Oncological centre is the BEST place to continue administering his treatment. Travis puts his faith in God and in Yale for having a fighting chance and a successful treatment. With your help we hope to cover as much of the treatment plan as the funds received would allow and we can only do this with your donation.

How does your donation count?

- Any amount you can spare, every bit donated gets Travis closer to continuing treatment and provides his best chance to recovery; with God’s help and your help he WILL beat it again.

- We would appreciate if you can share our story with anyone you believe may donate and help support Travis’ treatment.

What happens with the donations?

- While our parents are in the USA with Travis, the team behind this campaign is Peter Ramsammy (me), my brother Chad Ramsammy and Travis’ God Mother and our aunt, Louisa Mendoza .

- Aunty Louisa resides in the USA, a requirement necessary for this Go Fund Me campaign to work and use ALL the donations collected to fund Travis’ treatment at Yale.
 
We have hope you will make a difference with funding and we will update everyone as we go along Travis’ journey to recovery.

We have hope, in Travis, in God and in you.

Thomas Edison once said “When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: You haven’t.”

Your donation is the best possibility to help Travis conquer this cancer.



Let’s bring the funds so Travis can bring the FIGHT!